TSMC - page 2

Apple chipmaker suffers gas contamination on iPhone and Mac production lines

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Apple Silicon
TSMC makes Apple Silicon chips for Apple.
Photo: Apple

Apple chipmaker TSMC, which makes both Apple’s A-series and Apple Silicon chips, says that its production lines have been hit by a gas leak. This has affected some of its chip production — including the advanced chip fab used for upcoming iPhones and Macs.

“To ensure that there will be no issues with production quality, TSMC is currently carrying out stringent follow-up operations,” TSMC said. It told Reuters that it doesn’t expect this to he a “significant impact” on operations.

2022 iPad Pro could pack next-gen 3nm chip for even greater performance

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iPad-Pro-Magic-Trackpad-3
Coming in late 2022?
Photo: Apple

The 2022 iPad Pro could ship with a next-generation chipset manufactured using a cutting-edge 3-nanometer process, according to a new report out of Asia, citing several sources familiar with the matter.

The upgrade would lead to even greater performance for what is already one of Apple’s fastest mobile devices. But we may have to wait longer for the same technology to make its way to iPhone.

Apple’s M1 and A-series chipmaker prioritizes Cupertino over other customers

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Apple A15 concept
That should make it more likely that iPhone 13 ships on time.
Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

There’s a global semiconductor shortage, but Apple’s got a leg up on some of its rivals. According to a Tuesday report from Digitimes, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world’s largest chip fab, says it will prioritize Apple orders.

TSMC builds the A-series chips for iPhones, as well as the M1 chip for Macs and the latest iPad Pro. The company is currently working on the new A15 chips for this year’s iPhone refresh. Beyond that, it’s gearing up to produce next year’s A-series chips, which will be made with either a 4-nanometer or 3-nanometer process.

TSMC is already looking beyond A15 chips to make even smaller, faster processors

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Apple A15 concept
Apple chip manufacturer is looking to the future.
Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is already looking beyond the A15 chip that will come with this year’s iPhone 13. According to a Friday report, the world’s biggest chip fab is “fast advancing” its 4-nanometer and 3-nanometer processes ready for mass manufacturing.

Digitimes reports that TSMC’s 4-nanometer process will move into risk production in the third quarter of 2021. Risk production is a smaller production run of new hardware to sort out any problems. If there are none, TSMC  can then progress to volume production. The same report also claims that TSMC’s 3nm production process will commence volume production in the second half of 2022.

TSMC begins production on Apple’s next-gen A15 chip for iPhone 13

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Apple A15 concept
How do you follow up a monster like the A14 chip? With the A15, of course!
Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor maker, has reportedly commenced production on the next-gen A15 chip for the iPhone 13.

It seems that Apple’s expecting to have a big hit on its hands, too. Digitimes reported Wednesday that “demand for the chip surpass that for its predecessor last year in scale, according to industry sources.”

Apple’s chipmaker could build up to 6 factories in Arizona

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TSMC 7nm processor
Plans have gotten more ambitious it seems.
Photo: TSMC

Apple M- and A-series chipmaker TSMC is reportedly planning to build more than just the one chipmaking factory currently announced for the United States.

According to Reuters, the company — which is the world’s leading edge semiconductor manufacturer — plans to build “several more” in the state of Arizona. TSMC’s original intentions to build a $12 billion chip factory in AZ were announced in May 2020.

Apple chipmaker warns that supplies may be constrained into 2022

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chips
There's a big global chip shortage right now.
Photo: Intel

Apple’s A-series chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) has warned that constrained chip supply will continue for the rest of this year and into 2022.

While it didn’t specifically mention Apple, it nonetheless admitted that capacity will remain “tight” for the immediate future. TSMC is currently gearing up to manufacture the A-series chips for Apple’s next-gen iPhone, set to debut in the fall. This will reportedly begin in May.

A15 chip production for iPhone 13 is almost underway

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Apple A14 is made with an amazing 5nm production process.
A14 chip? Pffft... it's all about the A15 chip these days.
Screenshot: Apple

Production on Apple’s next-gen A15 chips will reportedly start up in May, using the same 5-nanometer fabrication size as last year’s A14 chip. However, this year’s A-series chip refresh will boast an “enhanced” manufacturing process that should result in superior performance next to the A14 processor.

This is approximately what you would expect to see in terms of both the schedule and nanometer jump between iPhone models. Apple typically is underway with production by around May, ready for the September iPhone launch. There is also usually an upgrade (or, in terms of minimum feature size, downgrade) in nanometers every couple of years.

Micro OLED displays might make Apple’s AR glasses super-thin and light

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Taeyeon Kim
Coming soon to a face near you?
Photo: Taeyeon Kim

Apple and A-series chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. teamed up to develop “ultra-advanced display technology” at a special facility in Taiwan, a Wednesday report claims.

The Micro OLED displays measure less than 1 inch in size, according to Nikkei Asia. Apple potentially could use the displays for its long-rumored augmented reality glasses.  However, it seems likely it will take “several years” to bring the hardware to market.

A16 Bionic: TSMC gears up to produce first 3nm chips for future iPhone

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Apple A14 is made with an amazing 5nm production process.
Ready to see the A14 look like old hat?
Screenshot: Apple

Apple’s A14 chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is gearing up for “risk production” of its next-gen chips, Digitimes reported Friday.

The chips in question are TSMC’s 3-nanometer chips, expected to be the eventual successor to the current 5-nanometer chips. Risk production refers to the dress rehearsal process for manufacturing, in which things appear ready to go, but are not quite ready to go into mass production just yet.

A14 chipmaker earnings hint at monster success for the iPhone 12

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iPhone 12 Pro parts cost shockingly little
Signs look good that the iPhone 12 has been a big hit for Apple.
Photo: Cult of Mac

We won’t definitively know how well the iPhone 12 is doing until Apple’s next earnings call January 27. But the signs are certainly looking good.

On Thursday, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the company that makes Apple’s A-series chips, reported better-than-expected earnings for the December quarter. This was apparently helped by “robust” demand for the iPhone 12.

Apple supplier preps factory that could make 2-nm chips for 2024 iPhone

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iPhone11
Forget the current iPhone. TSMC is already planning for the 2024 update.
Photo: Apple

Apple A-series chip manufacturer TSMC has obtained land upon which it plans to build a 2-nanometer fabrication plant, the company’s senior vice president for operations revealed.

In a report published Tuesday, YP Chin said the next-next gen chip fab facility will be located in Hsinchu, a city in northern Taiwan. While there’s no confirmation on when the 2-nm chips will debut, if past patterns are anything to go by, it’s likely they will debut with the 2024 iPhone.

Apple chipmaker may be prepping 80 million A14 chips for iPhone 12 debut

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
The A14 could be a game-changer for Apple.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple chipmaker TSMC is reportedly preparing 80 million A14 chips for the next-gen iPhone 12, claims regular Apple leaker l0vetodream.

Interestingly, this follows a recent report suggesting that certain iPhone orders have been cut in half. If accurate, it suggests that Apple has some very high hopes for the iPhone 12.

TSMC stays on track to make 3-nanometer chips for iPhone 14

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Apple A14 processor
Apple’s chipmaker thinks long-term. It’s already prepping for the A14, A15 and maybe even the A16 iPhone processors.
CGI: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s long-term plan to begin producing 3-nanometer processors in 2022 remains on schedule. This company manufactures all Apple CPUs, and the 3nm process is expected to be used to make the A-series chips for future iPhones, iPads and perhaps Macs as well.

In the near term, TSMC is already making chips for the iPhone 12. And the company is close to perfecting the process that’ll make the chips for 2021 iPhones.

Senators raise concerns over iPhone-maker’s $12 billion US chip factory

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Apple A14 processor
Senators want to be sure a Taiwanese semiconductor plant being built in Arizona won‘t be a security risk. The factory could someday make Apple processors.
CGI: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A trio of Democratic Senators raised questions on Tuesday about what incentives the Trump administration offered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to build a new processor fabrication plant in the U.S. This factory could be used to produce chips for future iPhones.

The lawmakers want to be sure that TSMC isn’t getting unfair advantages over American chip makers. And that the plant won’t allow U.S. trade secrets to leak to China.

Apple’s A-series chipmaker is going to build a $12 billion factory in the US

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
New factory will be located in Arizona.
Screenshot: Apple

Apple A-series chipmaker TSMC announced Friday its intentions to build and run a new semiconductor fabrication plant in the U.S.

The new plant will be built in Arizona, with “support from the U.S. federal government and the State of Arizona,” a report published Friday by Digitimes claims. It will use TSMC’s 5-nanometer process to manufacture up to 20,000 semiconductor wafers per month. The iPhone 12 is widely expected to boast 5nm chips.

Apple’s A-series chipmaker in talks to build a chip factory in the U.S.

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
Could TSMC eventually build A-series chips in America?
Screenshot: Apple

Could Apple’s A-series chips eventually be manufactured in the United States? That’s one possible outcome if the Trump administration gets its way.

According to a report published Sunday by the Wall Street Journal, the White House wants to “jump-start” the development of new chip factories in the U.S. to help reduce reliance on Asia for critical technology. And it’s in talks with current A-series chipmaker TSMC and others to do so.

iPhone 2024? Apple chipmaker already working on astonishing 2-nanometer chip technology

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
Future chips will use transistors almost unimaginably small -- for almost unimaginably speedy results.
Screenshot: Apple

iPhone 2024 anyone? Apple chipmaker TSMC disclosed in its annual report to shareholders Friday that it has kicked off its 2-nanometer R&D process for future chips.

Going by Apple’s record trend of adopting a major upgrade (or, in terms of size, nanometer downgrade) in A-series chipsets every two years, that would mean the early stages of a new processor for the 2024 iPhone. This year’s iPhone is widely expected to come with a 5-nanometer A-series chip. The iPhone 11 has a 7nm processor.

Apple’s first Macs with custom ARM chips could arrive in 2021

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2020-MacBook-Air
Look out, Intel.
Photo: Apple

Apple plans to start selling new Macs powered by custom ARM processors in 2021, according to a new Bloomberg report, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The company is said to be working on three of its own chips — all based on the A14 processor than will ship inside the next-generation iPhone lineup this fall. The first version will reportedly be “much faster,” according to sources.

TSMC gives more evidence that iPhone 12 will be ready for later this year

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
TSMC is Apple's A-series chipmaker.
Screenshot: Apple

In more evidence that this year’s iPhone 12 will debut on time, Apple chipmaker TSMC says that its 5-nanometer chips are already in volume production and with satisfactory yield rates. TSMC expects a “a very fast and smooth ramp” of these chips in the second half of the year. It is heavily rumored that these will be the chips used in the new iPhone 12.

CEO CC Wei told investors this during an investor meeting held Thursday. Wei also said that TSMC is on track to deliver 3-nanometer chips which could be used in phones as soon as 2022.

Samsung’s plan to beat TSMC to 3-nanometer chips suffers setback

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
Apple's current chips are made with the 7-nanometer process.
Screenshot: Apple

The A-series chip in this year’s iPhone 12 is going to include one of the world’s first 5-nanometer chips, created by Apple partner TSMC.

But chipmakers are already looking beyond 5-nanometers when it comes to developing the ultra powerful chips of tomorrow. Rivals TSMC and Samsung, both of whom have previously made A-series chips for Apple, are busy exploring 3-nanometer production processes.

However, according to a report published Monday, Samsung just hit delays with their attempts at creating the next-next-gen chip process.

Leading Apple analyst confident 5G iPhone will launch this fall

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2020 iPhone 12 concept has a 99% screen to body ratio.
Apple was well-prepared for a global pandemic.
Photo: Pallav Raj/ConceptsiPhone

A leading Apple analyst is confident Apple will deliver its first iPhone with 5G this fall — despite a Wednesday report that suggested this year’s handsets could be delayed due to COVID-19.

“We have a different view,” wrote Gene Munster of Loup Ventures on Thursday. Muster has outlined several reasons why an iPhone refresh is still likely to come in 2020.

Apple’s A-series chipmaker employee tests positive for COVID-19

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Apple chipmaker racing ahead with its next next-gen nanometer process
TSMC is currently gearing up to build Apple's next A-series chips.
Photo: Apple

An employee at Apple chipmaker TSMC, the company which produces the A-series chips for iPhones and iPads, has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The company made the admission in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) Thursday. It said that it is requesting the 30 employees who made contact with the patient to self-isolate at home for 14 days.

Next-gen A14 chip could be first Arm-based processor to exceed 3GHz

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Gather_Round_A12Bionic 2
A12 Bionic introduced the 7-nanometer process. A14 will take that number even smaller.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s forthcoming A14 processor for the iPhone 12 series will be the first Arm-based mobile processor to exceed 3GHz, a report published Sunday claims.

According to Research Snipers’ report, the new supercharged chip could hit a GeekBench 4 running score of 3.1GHz. That would be 400MHz higher than the current A13 Bionic chips’s 2.7GHz.